Turkey wants direct talks with Syria, FM says
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Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Sunday his country was after direct and unconditional talks with Syria as he claims Damascus is not ready for talks.
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Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan adjusts his headphones during joint statements with his Romanian counterpart Luminita-Teodora Odobescu in Bucharest, Romania, January 31, 2024 (AP)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan expressed Sunday Turkey's desire to engage in direct discussions with Syria to address the issue of the repatriation of refugees. However, Fidan revealed that Syria was reluctant to engage in talks without any strings attached.
In an interview with A Haber news channel, Fidan lamented Syria's unwillingness to hold a one-on-one meeting with Turkey.
He emphasized Turkey's objectives in seeking talks, stating, "What do we want? To fight against terrorism and to get assistance in refugee repatriations. Unfortunately, they have been setting conditions, which is the wrong approach."
Russia, Syria, and Turkey's defense ministers held talks in the Russian capital, Moscow, in December 2022 where they discussed means of resolving the Syrian crisis.
"Trilateral talks between the defense ministers of Russia, Syria, and Turkey took place in Moscow. The meeting discussed ways to address the Syrian crisis, the issue of refugees, and joint efforts to combat extremist groups in Syria," the Russian Defense Ministry said.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the defense ministers highlighted how the dialogue was constructive, stressing the need for all three parties to hold further talks to bring more stability to Syria and the whole region, the statement added.
The talks have been stuck in place for months now and there has not been much progress when it comes to the issue of the preparation of Syrian refugees nor the withdrawal of the Turkish army from Syria.
Syrian Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bassam Sabbagh, said in October that Turkey must withdraw its military forces from Syria or else it will ruin any efforts toward any kind of relations.
"Turkey has to withdraw its military forces. Any other aspects, yes, of course, we will be open to discuss with them, but not to do so and to insist on staying - that's illegal occupation and then this will block all the efforts toward any kind of contacts and relations with Turkey," Sabbagh said in an interview for Sputnik.
A couple of months ago, the head of the Syrian delegation to Moscow and Assistant Foreign Minister Ayman Sousan considered that Turkey's official announcement that it would withdraw its forces from all Syrian territory is "the gateway to re-establish communication between the two sides."
In a different context, the Syrian Vice Minister also slammed the unilateral sanctions against Syria as inhuman, illegal, and require unconditional lifting,
"This [unilateral sanctions] is inhuman, this is immoral. We also have, we all have a responsibility to call for the immediate unconditional lifting of the sanctions," Sabbagh said.
Turkey, Moscow aligned on Gaza
Fidan also touched upon the prospects of a potential prisoner exchange between the Palestinian Resistance and the Israeli occupation, stating that he expects clarity on the matter "in the coming days."
According to the Turkish diplomat, Hamas is prepared to release captives taken during October 7's Operation al-Aqsa Flood in exchange for a lasting ceasefire. However, he noted that the Israeli occupation has consistently rejected this proposal.
Ankara remains in contact with both parties involved in the negotiations, he said.
Fidan likened Turkey's stance on the war in Gaza to that of Moscow. Speaking to A Haber, he highlighted the common ground between Ankara and Moscow, expressing a shared objective of bringing the war to an end as soon as possible.
"As you know, Russia's position on the war in Gaza is closer to where we stand. Russia's position on ending the war as soon as possible, delivering humanitarian aid, and on the two-state solution coincides with ours," Fidan stated.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has consistently called for an immediate ceasefire and an end to attacks on hospitals and civilian infrastructure in the blockaded strip.
No agreement has been reached yet: Top Palestinian Resistance official
A leading figure from the Palestinian Resistance factions said earlier in the week that no agreement around a ceasefire deal had been reached yet.
The remarks come after news outlets reported that Hamas had approved in principle the most recent ceasefire proposal made by Qatari officials. The official described the statement made by the Qatari Foreign Ministry as rushed and inaccurate.
The official explained that the party he represents had "received a message from the Hamas leadership regarding the framework paper that was presented based on the Paris meeting."
It is worth noting that the meeting came up with a momentary ceasefire proposal, which included a three-stage prisoner exchange deal. The meeting was attended by William Burns, the Central Intelligence Agency director, and top Egyptian, Israeli, and Qatari officials.
The leading figure said, "There is no agreement on the framework yet, and Hamas has important remarks (regarding the proposal)."
